Our travel guide to the magic islands.
When to visit?
Summer brings the tourist season which has its pros and cons. The days are long, all the services are in full swing. Camping grounds, surf and kayak rental and restaurants and cafes are open and ready. It feels lively and there is lots to do outside of nature related activities. Camping at one the many amazing beaches on those calmer summer evenings grilling couldn’t be better.
If like me when you think of the arctic Norway the first thing that’s springs to mind is cold, dramatic and snow covered mountains then the winter sounds like the one for you. The winter seems to take many fluctuations until the end of January when there is at least a decent base of snow down and the colder less variable weather has settled in. November and December tends to see the islands battered by storms that bring huge fluctuations in temperatures and rain and snow. If there is a month to avoid I would say November is the one. Not much snow around yet and a lot of rubbish weather. On the positive side at least you have Northern lights if you can see it through the clouds.
December brings the polar night which doesn’t give much time for daylight activities but the light can be amazing here. The polar night which gives us a few hours of amazing twilight around midday is something to behold. The light at this time of year, especially for photographers is magical. There has definitely been and increase of winter tourism because of this. Many photographers are chasing this light.
I first arrived on the islands in July. The days were endless with so much excitement and energy that the sun gives. I spent this time hiking late into the night and found it so surreal to be stood on top of peak watching the midnight sun slide across the horizon. One moment that sticks in my mind is how lost without time I was when I was fishing from the rocks while watching the endless sunset. Looking down at my watch, realizing that it was 2 in the morning. That’s one thing about the summer, you don’t sleep that much.
So when is a good time to visit? I guess this is the top of list of questions on the Lofoten islands. Firstly I would ask you what do you want to do here? Depending on your answer it may help you to narrow it down. Are you into activities such as skiing, hiking, watching the northern lights, Experiencing the midnight sun. Some of these will give you a smaller window as they have their own seasons.
July and August are the peak season on the Islands. There is a better chance of having more summer like weather then. Don’t forget though we are north of the arctic circle and conditions can change very quickly here. Even for the summer months it’s still best to be prepared for all weather conditions. Even snow!
Fall is a fantastic season when all the tree are turning to bright fiery colors. It’s hard to plan a trip on seeing the changes in colors in the forests because the leaves with one big storm mostly disappear. Some years we get calm periods and we get to enjoy the colors for much longer.
The Northern lights are well underway by this time for you can get some amazing fall color of the trees while also witnessing the Aurora. The other plus as there usually isn’t much snow around so you can still do a fair amount of hiking.
